Parker has 31 points, 11 rebounds to help Sparks beat Mercury 82-73 to even West semifinals

Candace Parker had 31 points and 11 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury 82-73 on Saturday night, evening their WNBA Western Conference semifinal series.

Nneka Ogwumike also had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, Lindsey Harding scored 13 points and Alana Beard added 12 for the Sparks. Two days after receiving the league's MVP award for the second time, Parker shot 13 for 24 from the field and 5 for 6 on free throws.

Diana Taurasi, who scored 30 points in Phoenix's win at Los Angeles in Game 1 on Thursday, had 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting. However, after trailing at halftime for the second straight game, the Mercury couldn't rally for the win this time.